Given the group's success at garnering capacity crowds year after year, it isn't far-fetched to argue that returning British reggae band Steel Pulse was the perfect choice to spark up another run of shows at Pacific Amphitheatre this summer.

The oufit's members – anchored consistently by vocalists David Hinds and Selwyn Brown, plus masterful keyboardist Sidney Mills – are veterans of their craft, delivering ample, uplifting hits spanning nearly four decades of rockin' steady. This appearance saw them in top form, bringing an air of infectious glee to their 16-song set that spread through the audience like convivial contagion.

Yet the droves of fans (many clad in black, gold, red and green) who packed in for this opening Saturday night of the OC Fair's five-week season hit a high point even before the headliners took the stage. Quite literally, actually: Many of them ignited copious amounts of cannabis early on while Santa Barbara-based, Hawaii-bred band Iration blazed through a short opening set of upbeat, tropical-tinged tunes.

Along with a few carefree cuts from just-released third album Automatic, the group did good by playing to the crowd's lifted spirits with a sunny cover of Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance." Bonus for local music fans: One of Dana Point's most down-home artists, Micah Brown, sat in as backup singer and occasional lead guitarist for the entire set.

With its audience well-buzzed in advance, Steel Pulse had no trouble enhancing the veritably vivacious vibe. Hinds & Co. settled in with a strategic set that began with a few revered pop-reggae hits to get people moving: "Prodigal Sun," "Roller Skates" and the Marcus Garvey-eulogizing "Worth His Weight in Gold (Rally Round)."

Then, true to their more serious activist undertones, they rocked through some slow-burning protest songs, including the passionately sung "No More Weapons," the Kingston-meets-Motown feel of "A Who Responsible" and the hip-hop-infused "Drug Squad," which came off equally fun-loving as saxophonist Jerry Johnson captivatingly crushed his extended, jazzy solo.

And while "Steppin' Out" marked the hardiest party point near the end of a four-song encore – "That's why we'll love you forever!" shouted Hinds in reaction to an overpowering sing-along on the chorus – the show concluded with a timely social message.

Pausing to wish backing vocalist and dancer Keysha McTaggert a happy birthday, the frontman segued from that joyousness into something more somber: "Speaking of anniversaries, it's been 100 years since the birth of Rosa Parks ... and coming up on 50 years in August since (Martin Luther King Jr.'s) 'I Have a Dream Speech,' " he mentioned, dipping into the acoustic-led "Let Freedom Ring."

Hinds reiterated that intimation shortly before the end: "I'm sad to say that 100 years after the birth of Rosa Parks, we're still out here in the streets fighting for justice. ... This last song is a special tribute to Trayvon Martin."

With that, the group launched into recently released single "Put Your Hoodies On," poignantly capturing the outfit's penchant for embedding social consciousness within cool, spirit-elevating grooves. Safe to say this audience was feeling the intoxicating result on all levels.

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